Today I talk with Paul Brewer who is an author and illustrator of children’s books, with a particular interest in humorous stories. His specialty has become joke books, as he has written three of them so far. He wrote and illustrated You Must Be Joking! and You Must Be Joking, Two! These joke books include tips for remembering and telling jokes, plus how to perform them like a stand-up comedian. He also illustrated the popular “Robert” series of chapter books, written by Barbara Seuling, with titles like Oh No, Its Robert, Robert Takes a Stand and Robert and the Happy Endings. His wife, Kathleen Krull, wrote two light-hearted picture books, Clip Clip Clip: Three Stories About Hair and How to Trick or Treat in Outer Space, that Paul illustrated. They also co-wrote a book called Fartiste, illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Paul and Kathleen just finished a book they co-wrote called Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country). It is about our famous president and his great sense of humor, which he used quite often to make himself and others around him feel comfortable. It was also a way to help him deal with his depression and the very turbulent times of his presidency. The book will be published in 2010. Paul and Kathleen live in San Diego, and have two adult daughters, Jacqui and Melanie, and a three-year-old grandson named Ethan, who already is showing the potential to be a great joke-teller.If you want to learn more about Paul Brewer, check out his website at www.paulbrewer.com.

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